Digital Commons Network^™

Hydrogen Production Through Water Gas Shift Reaction Over Nickel Catalysts, Agus Haryanto

Theses and Dissertations

The progress in fuel cell technology has resulted in an increased interest towards hydrogen fuel. Consequently, water gas shift reaction has found a renewed significance. Even though iron- and copper-based catalysts have been used for water gas shift reaction for decades, the catalysts are not strong enough to bring carbon monoxide concentration to a level tolerable for a fuel cell working at low temperatures. This study is focused on hydrogen production from water gas shift reaction using a nickel catalyst. Literature review revealed that nickel is one of the promising catalysts for water gas shift reaction. A thermodynamic analysis proved …

Secondary Career And Technical Student Achievement Measured By The Mississippi Career Planning And Assessment System, Shelley Hemphill Bock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of teacher attributes and school contextual factors to student achievement in career and technical education in Mississippi. The teacher attributes years of teaching experience, degree(s) of attainment, professional development, and national board certification were included as independent variables. Additionally, the contextual factors of enrollment, academic achievement, and socio-economic status were included as independent variables. The statewide standardized assessment for career and technical education was used as the dependent variable measuring student achievement at the school district, career and technical program area, and individual career and technical course levels. The predictor …

Sequence Analysis Of The 16s-23s Intergenic Spacer Regions Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Lorelei Melissa Ford

Theses and Dissertations

The 16S, 23S, and 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are highly conserved sequences in bacteria. For this reason, rRNA genes are often used for phylogenetic classification. On the other hand, the regions between the structural sequences, known as intergenic spacer regions (ITS), are under less evolutionary pressure to be conserved. Because they are not as highly conserved, they can be used to differentiate strains of the same bacterial specie. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 16S-23S ITS of Flavobacterium columnare, an important pathogen of cultured fish, by comparing the 16S-23S ITS sequences from 70 isolates. We developed …

Porcine Embryogenesis And Effects Of Mycotoxins On Early Pig Development, Hongfeng Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of culture media and mycotoxin on porcine preimplantation embryonic development has been investigated. In the first experiment, porcine embryonic cleavage rates were similar in NCSU-23 and PZM-3 culture media, while more blastocysts were produced in PZM-3 (P<0.05). BAX and BCL2L1 transcription levels were similar in blastocysts cultured in both media. Cleavage rates were significantly decreased in the presence of cycloheximide (P<0.05), and both á-amanitin and cycloheximide completely inhibited blastocyst formation. In the mycotoxin experiment, porcine embryonic cleavage rates decreased in 10 ìM á-ZEA group, while blastocyst rates decreased in 30 ìM á-ZEA group (P<0.05). Total cell numbers of blastocysts were significantly lower in the 10 µM á-ZEA group (P<0.05). The transcription levels of POU5F1 and BCL2L1 were similar, while that of BAX and the ratio of BAX/BCL2L1 significantly increased in 3 ìM and 10 ìM á-ZEA groups compared to control group.

Potentiation Of Microglial Toll-Like Receptor Stimulated Inflammatory Cytokine Output By Manganese: A Role For P38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, Patrick L. Crittenden

Theses and Dissertations

Manganese (Mn) neurotoxicity has been recognized for a long time and it affects primarily the basal ganglia. However, only recently has inflammation, which is known to play an important role in neuropathology, been considered as part of its toxic mechanism. In the current study, we have shown that Mn-potentiation of inflammatory cytokines ( IL-6 and TNF-á) in microglia is not dependent on the activaton of the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 signaling pathway by lipolysaccharide (LPS), as potentiation by Mn is observed in microglia activated with agonists for other TLR, such as TLR2, TLR3, and TLR9. Furthermore, enhancement of inflammatory cytokine production …

Steam, Dielectric Heating And Copper Sulfate Treatment Of Inshell Pecans, Mandar Ranchhod Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Water and a copper sulfate (CSL) solution at 27, 57 and 88°C; steam pasteurization and dielectric heating were analyzed on their effect in reducing microbial load (APC) and Salmonella Typhimurium on inshell pecans (Carya illinoinensis). The CSL solution (more effective than water alone) reduced APC by 1.5 (300 s), 2 (60 s) and 4.0 (60 s) log CFU/g at 27, 57 and 88°C, respectively; and Salmonella by 3.0 log at 27°C in 60 s. Steam reduced APC by 3.7 log in 180 s and Salmonella by 4.0 log CFU/g in 30 s. Dielectric treatment reduced APC by 3.0 log and …

Review Of Diagnostic Methods In The Most Cited Articles For Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, And Binge-Eating Disorder, Rebecca Chapman Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic practices utilized in studies of participants with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder were investigated. A reliable coding system was used by two reviewers to analyze the diagnostic documentation practices in articles from the top-thirty most cited articles for each diagnostic category. Interrater agreements were all above .95. Results showed that many important diagnostic practices and criteria are either not being employed or not being documented. Uniform reporting procedures are necessary to help readers know how each article’s sampling procedure and subject pool differs from other samples used in the literature. Researchers reported the most details about sample …

Physiological Impact Of Hematocrit Level During Stress In Broilers, Lindsay Hale Mcwilliams

Theses and Dissertations

Initial experiments evaluated the impact of hematocrit on a bird’s ability to adapt to stress and what physiological mechanisms occurred to maintain oxygen carrying capacity (OCC). A final experiment was conducted to obtain proteomic evaluation of protein expression in monocytes of unstressed broilers. In initial experiments, ACTH treatment was applied to hematocrit separated broilers. Experiments evaluated effects of ACTH on broilers with low (19 to 22%, Experiment 1; 18-21%, Experiment 3), high (25 to 28%, Experiment 1; 24 to 27%, Experiment 3) or non-selected hematocrit levels (Experiment 2 and 3). After 4 d of ACTH, all treated birds had significantly …

The Dynamics Of Trematode Infected And Uninfected Planorbella Trivolvis In Commercial Catfish Ponds, Barbara Ann George

Theses and Dissertations

Planorbella trivolvis, a snail routinely found in catfish ponds, is an intermediate host in the life cycle of Bolbophorus damnificus, a digenetic trematode responsible for mortalities in catfish. This research generated information on the life cycle and the population dynamics of P. trivolvis in catfish ponds which could be implemented to control P. trivolvis. Research indicated that: P trivolvis is present year-round; survives overwintering at water temperatures of 5°C; reproduces year-round; is found in vegetation, sediment and water in ponds year-round; lays eggs two months post-hatch; and has a life span of at least one year. Planorbella trivolvis infected with …

Molecular Based Identification Of Wood Decay Fungi From Two Field Sites In Mississippi, Robert Joseph Bucci

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on isolating important wood decay fungi from two field sites located in Harrison County, MS, and Oktibbeha County, MS. Southern Yellow Pine samples of various types and treatments including: Cu8, CuOm, ACQ, PCP, proprietary organic biocide, and un-treated were collected, and fungal isolates were cultured. DNA was extracted from isolated fungal cultures and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The internal transcribe spacer (ITS) region was sequenced, and fungal cultures were identified by comparison to sequences on GenBank using BLAST. A total of 68 fungal isolates were recovered and successfully identified from 196 samples. Thirteen basidiomycete isolates …

Multiple Positive Solutions For Classes Of Elliptic Systems With Combined Nonlinear Effects, Jaffar Ali Shahul Hameed

Theses and Dissertations

We study positive solutions to nonlinear elliptic systems of the form: \begin{eqnarray*} -\Delta u =\lambda f(v) \mbox{ in }\Omega\\-\Delta v =\lambda g(u) \mbox{ in }\Omega\\\quad~~ u=0=v \mbox{ on }\partial\Omega \end{eqnarray*} where $\Delta u$ is the Laplacian of $u$, $\lambda$ is a positive parameter and $\Omega$ is a bounded domain in $R^n$ with smooth boundary $\partial\Omega$. In particular, we will analyze the combined effects of the nonlinearities on the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions. We also study systems with multiparameters and stronger coupling. We extend our results to $p$-$q$-Laplacian systems and to $n\times n$ systems. We mainly use sub- and …

Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Mechanisms Associated With The Establishment Of A Model Invasive Species In Mississippi: Imperata Cylindrica, D Christopher Holly

Theses and Dissertations

Of concern in this research were the ecological parameters associated with the establishment of a model invasive plant species, Imperata cylindrica, across a scale of ecological organization. Specifically, the study addressed the species’ ability to: differentially respond to abiotic and biotic constraints during seedling establishment, exhibit a novel underground competitive interference mechanism, and alter the decomposition dynamics in newly invaded ecosystems. Finally, the last portion of the research was centered around creating a predictive habitat model that will provide information on the most important variables responsible for creating habitat for this species. The population level seedling study indicated that soil …

The Impact Of Principal Salary, District Wealth, Student Socioeconomic Status And School Size On The Achievement Level Of Students In Selected Mississippi Public Schools, Michael Henry Mcneece

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of four variables, principal salary, district wealth, student socioeconomic status, and school size, on the achievement level of public school students in Mississippi. The first, principal salary, was found not to have been studied as a variable that may correlate with student achievement. One may have hypothesized that more effective principals would correlate with increased student achievement test scores and that those principals would have been rewarded with higher salaries. The results of this study did not support that idea. The data indicated that there was no meaningful correlation between …

The Use Of A Behavior Screener To Predict Outcomes On High Stakes Tests For Elementary School Students, Rebecca Anne Emens

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have consistently shown that teachers’ ratings of behavior were predictive of academic difficulties. While research has clearly indicated that behavior has a reciprocal relationship with academic achievement, there is a scarcity of research on the relationship between outcomes on high stakes tests and student behavior. Early identification of children at risk for academic difficulties is vital for successful intervention and remediation. Therefore, this researcher investigated use of a brief behavior screener as a predictor of students at risk for failing a high stakes test. Results from the Behavior Assessment System for Children–Teacher Rating Scale–Child Screener (BASC-TRS-C Screener) provided an …

Understanding Health Inequality Through The Study Of Living Arrangements, Tzei Hsu

Theses and Dissertations

Promoting population health is an essential task for sustainable development. This study explores the association between socioeconomic status and perceived health in the United States, with special attention on the influence of living arrangements. It also improves the existing explanations of causal mechanisms underlying the impact of SES on health among Americans over 50. Using the first and seventh waves of Health and Retirement Study to run ordered logistic regression, this research addresses the importance of living arrangements and social capital on self-reported health. Income and education are both important predictors of self-reported health. In addition, living arrangements and household …

Determination Of Polyphenol Oxidase (Ppo) Activity, Anthocyanin Contents And The Phytonutrient Changes In Blueberry Juice As Influenced By Different Processing Methods, Jelena Stojanovic

Theses and Dissertations

Inhibition of blueberry PPO activity by sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite and their influence on degradation of individual anthocyanins in an extract was studied. Maceration of blueberries was carried out at 55ºC for 1h with the addition of 0.1% sodium benzoate or with blanching pretreatment at 90ºC for 1min. After maceration pretreatments the extracted juice was processed with traditional hot fill pasteurization, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and pulsed electric field (PEF). Sodium benzoate and potassium metabisulfite were very effective PPO inhibitors in concentrations of 0.1% and 10ppm, respectively. Potassium sorbate was the weakest inhibitor, with 50% PPO remaining. …

Expression Of The Gtp And Atp Specific Isoforms Of Succinyl -Coa Synthetase In Mouse And Human., Kristin Nora Tews

Theses and Dissertations

Succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) in eukaryotes is an alpha-beta heterodimer with the nucleotide specificity residing within the beta subunit. It was previously believed that animals have the GTP-specific isoform, while plants and bacteria possess the ATP-specific isoform. However, recent work demonstrated that both isoforms of SCS exist in mammals, and the cDNA sequences for the GTP and ATP-specific beta subunits have been determined for mouse and human. The complete genomic sequence for any of the subunits of SCS in a eukaryotic organism had not been elucidated. The promoter structures of the SCS subunits, as well as the relative expression of the …

Characterization Of Src -Suppressed C -Kinase Substrate (Ssecks) In Rat Primary Sensory Neurons., Sandra Marie Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

SSeCKS (src suppressed C kinase substrate) is a proposed protein kinase C substrate that has been localized in the peripheral and central nervous system. In this study, approximately 40% of small primary sensory neurons in the DRG contain SSeCKS-immunoreactivity with many of these cells devoid of SP (4.8%), CGRP (4.7%), or FRAP reactivity (45.0%). In the spinal cord, SSeCKS-immunoreactive axon collaterals terminate in the dorsal third of lamina IIouter suggesting that these fibers are unmyelinated C-, or small diameter myelinated Aδ-, fibers. Additionally, capsaicin treatment essentially obliterated SSeCKS immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn. Quantitative analysis of dorsal root ganglia revealed …

The Role Of Phosphorylation On The Stability Of The Type Iα Regulatory Subunit Of Camp -Dependent Protein Kinase., Clay Edward Comstock

Theses and Dissertations

A fundamental question in the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) field is how a multi-functional kinase, like PKA, can maintain specificity of a response. Modulating the post-translational levels of the regulatory subunit (RIα) of PKA may be one important means of determining PKA specificity. The Ecdysone-inducible Receptor (EcR)-HEK293 cell line was utilized to examine the hypothesis that an in vivo phosphorylation site at Ser-81 in RIα, located in a putative degradation sequence, may be a signal for protein stability. Pulse-chase experiments determined the half-life of endogenous RIα to be 4.8 hours. A histidine-tagged wild-type or Ser-81-Ala mutant of RIα was stably …

Fmri Evidence Of Group Differences On The Word Memory Test In A Sample Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, James Douglas Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The Word Memory Test (WMT) is a popular effort test that requires participants to memorize lists of paired words and repeat them back in a variety of different memory tasks. Four brain injured patients participated in two trials of the delayed recall (DR) portion of the WMT while undergoing fMRI scanning. In the first trial subjects put forth full effort, and during the second trial subjects were instructed to simulate increased memory impairment in order to represent poor effort. fMRI activation from both trials were compared in order to contrast full and simulated poor effort activation patterns during the WMT. …

Patterns Of Social Participation: Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Creating Social Capital, Camille Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Given the numerous benefits noted in academic research from having social capital, investigators may now turn to looking at what makes a person likely to create it. In this study I examine whether building social capital in high school through participation in religious, athletic, and volunteer activities makes individuals more likely to continue to create it as adults through participation in similar activities. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, I employ both multilevel and seemingly unrelated regression models. I find that early participation in religious and athletic activities increases the likelihood of doing two out of three social …

Regulators Of G-Protein Signaling, Rgs13 And Rgs16, Are Associated With Cxcl12-Mediated Cd4+ T Cell Migration, Lijin Xia

Theses and Dissertations

Chemokines are important chemical signals that guide lymphocyte movement within the immune system and promote the organization and functions of germinal centers (GCs) in the secondary lymphoid tissues. Previous studies have shown that GC T cells exhibit high expression of chemokine receptor 4, CXCR4, but that these cells are unable to migrate to the ligand for this receptor, the chemokine CXCL12. This “migratory paralysis” to CXCL12 was found to be correlated with the expression of two Regulators of G-protein Signaling, RGS13 and RGS16 in the GC T cells. The objective of my research was to determine whether RGS13 and RGS16 …

Educating Nurses On The Impact Of Domestic Violence On Preschool Children Ages 0-5, Beverly A. Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Domestic violence crosses all boundaries of culture, ethnicity, religion, education, age and socioeconomic class. Exposing young, impressionable children to violence may be traumatic and life-altering. Exposure to domestic violence can harm children cognitively, emotionally, physically and developmentally. During infancy and early childhood, children make frequent acute and well-child visits to healthcare providers. These frequent visits provide nurses multiple opportunities to identify risk and offer interventions that may foster a child's resilience to the impact of domestic violence exposure.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to provide a continuing education session for nurses to increase their knowledge …

Cerebral Oximetry In Cardiac Surgery, Katie C. Busker

Theses and Dissertations

The cerebral oximeter is a new device that measures venous oxygen saturations of the brain utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy. Approximately 40% of adult cardiac patients show neurological dysfunction after cardiac surgery; often leading to prolonged hospital stays (Edmonds, Ganzel, & Austin, 2004). Utilization of cerebral oximetry has been associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of neurological impai1ment and a decrease in hospital stay by up to 3 days (Yao, Tseng, & Trifiletti, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefits, applications, and limitations of cerebral oximetry monitoring in adult cardiac surgery. It is important that Certified …

Teaching Regional Anesthesia To Nurse Anesthesia Students, Garre! C. Kinzler

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching regional anesthesia to students who have no experience is a difficult task because there is no common frame of reference, and there are many variables to the provision of this specialized care. The purpose of this independent study was to review three of the most commonly performed blocks then prepare and deliver lessons to nurse anesthesia students which will promote their confidence and competency as anesthesia providers

The method used was a review of literature utilizing PubMed, Cl NAHL, and SCOPUS databases. Current thought on preparing students for learning and performing regional methods was organized according to Malcolm Knowles' …

Production Of Bangla Stops By Native English Speakers Learning Bangla: An Acoustic Analysis, Dustin D. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in the phonetic and phonological systems of Bangla and English result in negative transfer in the Bangla stop productions of native English speakers. The phonetic realizations of Voice and Aspiration and their interactions with each other are the key factors in this. A production study was carried out focusing on sixteen of the twenty Bangla stops that are distinguished by a four-way voice/aspiration contrast at four different places of articulation, providing a contrastive acoustic analysis of the pronunciation of L1 and L2 adult speakers. Data containing these stops in an intervocalic environment in word-initial, word-medial, and word-final positions was …

Adolescent Depression: Vulnerability Factors For Boys And Girls, Paul Andrew Stebbins

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined sex and age differences in vulnerability factors associated with adolescent depression in a sample of boys and girls. Sex and age comparisons in the means and associations with depressive symptoms, self-esteem, social support, attachment, and expressiveness were examined among 510 adolescents (263 boys; 247 girls; Mage= 13.68; SD= 1.769). Additionally, this study was to identify prominent vulnerability factors for depression in adolescence from a group of known vulnerability factors with depression.

Findings indicate that all of the vulnerability variables included were associated with depression; and these vulnerability factors associated with depression in adolescent boys and girls are …

Half-Day To Full-Day Kindergarten Programming And Early Literacy Behaviors Of Emergent Readers, Jim A. Torkelson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Historical Study Of The Kindergarten And First Grade Programs At The Minot State University Laboratory School (1969 - 1990): A School Ahead Of Its Time, Valeria Noel Wax

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses archival sources and oral interviews to construct a history of the kindergarten and first grade programs at the Minot State University Laboratory School (MSU) from 1966 – 1990. The length of the study is based on the time the kindergarten was in existence at the MSU Laboratory School. The school was unique in North Dakota because it was the last laboratory in the state. A variety of educational methodologies and techniques were developed in an effort to improve instruction. The school also developed and refined an individualized instruction program that was used with all children enrolled in …

Spectroscopic Study Of Compressible Mobile Phase And Stationary Phase Behavior In Chromatography, Lawrence R. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence, and sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy are used to investigate the behavior of compressible mobile phases and stationary phases under a variety of chromatographic conditions. Efforts to understand and optimize separations employing compressible mobile phases have been limited by a lack of understanding of the mobile phase density gradient. Mobile phase compressibility leads to gradients in linear velocity and solute retention and affects separation speed and efficiency, especially in packed columns. This work describes on-column density measurement of CO2, a common carrier fluid for SFC and SGC, in packed capillary columns using Raman microspectroscopy. On-column detection by …